It’s finally time to enjoy outdoor activities and feel the warm weather and sunshine! Outdoor gatherings call for breaking out the picnic blanket and firing up the grill.

Mixing your favorite tea with a BFF’s favorite coffee?! Crazy…maybe even sacrilegious, right? Tea is so magical on its own; it doesn’t need another beverage stepping in (or should I say steeping in), right? Well, maybe not need, but it does spark a bit of curiosity. So why not spend one afternoon mixing high quality flavored loose-leaf teas with high quality single origin coffees?

When someone says “yoga,” the first thing that comes to mind is Lotus pose. t’s the one that can take the longest to achieve, due to how flexible you must be in your hips, knees, and ankles to get into the pose—let alone sit comfortably for the desired length of meditation...

Imagine your first cup of Darjeeling tea. The aroma greats you with a soft flowery scent. The taste is delicate with a fruity apricot peach flavor. You have just experienced a tea like no other. Darjeeling first flush spring tea is widely regarded as some of the worlds finest black tea.

What do these initials and words mean? And, why don’t all tea-growing countries use them? Of the more than 35 countries which produce tea, Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and India are the primary users of these designations in all their tea-growing areas to describe broken or full tea leaves, leaf position, and words for their appearance and fragrance.

Holy cup, Number 10! Since we’ve been focusing so far on strength and stability, now is a good time to add a recovery pose into your yoga arsenal. That’s why we have Balasana, or Child’s Pose. One of the most essential restorative poses, Child’s Pose is a deeply internal experience--even if you’re there for just one breath...

With each stretch and bend, Melissa encouraged us to go deeper within ourselves. Breathe, listen to the funny inhabitants of our bellies. And as organs are wont to do, they responded appreciatively. This was only the beginning of the Spring Cleanse Tea & Yoga Workshop at West End Health & Fitness, held on March 26th, 2017.

Why a tea journal? It makes it so easy to refer back to your favorite teas, remind you where you bought them, and give you ideas for gifting tea-loving friends or family. Yes, you could use Excel or any other spreadsheet software to keep your tasting notes. But doesn’t that defeats the charm, and intimacy, of the tea experience?

Documentation of tea tools such as the tea strainer appear in ancient history, the earliest models were likely made of bamboo, and later evolved into stainless steel, sterling silver, china, porcelain, silicon, and linen. However, using a tea tool to keep run away tea leaves out of a cup did not become a cited use of the strainer until the 17th century when Dutch merchants made tea more readily available to those outside of the Chinese dynasty.

“March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb.” It’s at this time of the year that we must say, “Screw it,” and stick our tongues out at the melancholy of the world. So, forget lambs. We’re sending March out like lions! March is no match for your Matcha...

One of the fascinations about true tea, that precious leaf of the Camellia sinensis, is its ability to relax the body, energize the spirit, and sharpen mind. What shall you apply all that energy to? The practice of meditation? A hike in the woods? The demands on your mental energy tackling the problems of work or volunteering? Dancing the night away?

A truth universally held by tea drinkers is that a great cup of tea is made even more wonderful when shared with others, encouraging you to get together with one or more friends and bond over a fresh cup. Why not, instead of just an afternoon tea, devote an entire day to tea? In this TeaMuse article, you'll find a few suggestions on how to share and celebrate your love of tea with a “Tea Day” celebration.

March is upon us! The shortest, yet obviously worst month of the year, is now over. Seriously, who ACTUALLY likes February? Fortunately, March is upon us now, which brings with it a plethora of goodness. The “almost there but not quite yet” month, where winter is being slowly eradicated and spring is almost within reach. Exercise routines, eating habits, recreational activities, and even the tea we drink begins to change.

In honor of love, we’re doing Cobra. What the cup does Cobra have to do with love?Everything, in fact... Cobra is a chest opener—and when you open your chest, the heart goes with it. It’s called a “heart-center” for a reason, folks.

Be honest with yourself: how often do you think about your heart? Usually, it’s in the metaphorical sense—love, emotion, all those warm fuzzy feelings that make us curl up with a cup of tea. But let’s not forget that the heart is a living organ, as well! It’s a pumping, breathing machine that needs just as much nourishment and understanding as any other part of our body.

In this world with a constant influx of news and information, deadlines for work and family, and crossing off those endless items on your to-do list, it’s more important than ever to take care of yourself. Naturally, we think tea can be used as antidote to all of the stressors in life. You might want to consider some of these suggestions for utilizing tea to de-stress, calm yourself, and practice self-care…

Your skin is the largest organ in your body, so it is important to nurture it with the best nature has to offer. With that in mind, tea is a great skin ally because of its many magical properties. Generous in both taste and aroma, a tea blend’s mixture of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals can boost any basic beauTea cream ingredients that are already in your pantry, creating a luxurious treat for your skin.

Feeling frazzled? You’re not alone. It happens to the best of us! You might feel like life is too busy for you to indulge in self-care, but nothing could be further from the truth. Life’s juggling act can sometimes feel like a full-on circus show. They keep throwing in chairs and flower vases and plates... and it’s all you can do to keep everything in the air without having it come crashing down...

Hey there, tea lovers! We’re locked in the dead of winter. It only makes sense that we get into Corpse Pose and, luckily, Savasana is the easiest pose you can ever attempt in yoga. It's just you and the floor, rejuvenating your circulation by sheer gravity working on your muscles, joints, and nervous system in contact with the ground beneath you. (Science is beautiful.)